Harry Potter and the Snow White Queen
by Vanex
Summary: After being convicted of a crime he didn't commit, Harry Potter is sent to Azkaban. An incident happens while he is there, that signals the return of the Snow White Queen, who then frees Harry. Just what does she have planned for Harry? And what will this mean for the fight against Voldemort? Warning: Dumbledore/Weasley/Hermione Bashing. Main Pairing: Harry x Gwen (Hedwig)
1. Chapter 1

**Vanex: _Hello all! Yes, this is one of those 'Harry goes to Azkaban' stories. However, as you all probably expect from me, by now, this story will have my own unique twists on it. You might be surprised by the things I come up with._**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise or the song Snow White Queen, nor do I make any profit on this whatsoever.**

**Note: This story has nothing to do with the song Snow White Queen, nor will it feature the lyrics. I have included the song in the disclaimer, only because the idea of giving a character in this story the title of Snow White Queen came to me while I was listening to the song, and I credit my sources.**

"Normal Talking"

"_Normal Thinking/Dreams/Flashbacks"_

**"Parseltongue"**

**_"Dementor Talking"_  
**

*Scene Change*

**Chapter 1**

In a dark corner of the world, there is a prison. A prison that is sometimes called Hell on Earth. This prison's name is Azkaban. It is where witches and wizards who have committed crimes are sent. Patrolled by the Dementors, it is a frightening place to be. If you go inside the front doors, head to the back of the prison, and then go down multiple flights of stone stairs, you'll reach the deepest part of the prison, where the worst criminals are kept. It's also where criminals that the Minister hates are kept, like the seventeen-year-old in Cell 5527. This prisoner is known to the magical world. He was supposed to be their savior. He was the one prophesied to defeat the Dark Lord Voldemort. But now, he is a murderer, guilty of killing all the Muggles who lived on Privet Drive. Every single witch and wizard knows the name of this prisoner. His name is Harry James Potter.

Harry twitches in his cell as a Dementor passes by it, forcing him to live through not just the night of October 31, 1981, but also the day of July 31, 1996. The day where everyone he ever trusted or cared about turned on him. It was his sixteenth birthday and it was a birthday far worse than any of the birthdays he ever had, including the lack of them when he was growing up in the Dursley house.

*Scene Change*

_Harry sighed as he left the hardware store. His uncle had sent him to buy a new hammer to replace the old one that had finally broken apart. Harry shivered, remembering the one time that Vernon had hit him with that old hammer. He slowly walked home, not in any hurry to get there. When he arrived at Privet Drive, he was horrified. The doors of all the houses were blown in and the Dark Mark was in the sky. He quickly raced inside #4, only realizing too late that he didn't have his wand with him. He heard a voice cry, "Stupefy!" before being struck with the spell._

_He woke up, only to find himself in front of the __Wizengamot, with Professor Dumbledore and Minister Fudge glaring at him. __"What's going on?" he asked._

_Dumbledore glared for a few moments, before answering. "Harry Potter, you have been found guilty of killing all the Muggles who lived at Privet Drive and for casting the Dark Mark."_

"_But I'm innocent!"_

"_We have evidence that proves your guilt, the chief one being that your wand was the one used in the killings."_

"_But I didn't have my wand with me!"_

_Fudge scoffed. "That was a poor attempt at lying, Potter. We retrieved your wand from your pocket. Plus, you were the only person at the scene."_

_Dumbledore nodded. "It's sad to see that you have fallen so far as to commit such a massacre, Harry. To see that you have become one of Voldemort's Death Eaters. You are hereby sentenced to Azkaban. Aurors, take him away!"_

_As the Aurors started to drag Harry away, he noticed the Weasleys, excluding Fred and George, and Hermione glaring at him._

"_How could you do it, Harry?" asked Ron._

"_Why did you become a Death Eater?" asked Hermione._

"_I can't believe I ever had a crush on you!" yelled Ginny._

"_I'm ashamed I ever let you into my house! I'm ashamed that I treated you like one of the family! I hope you burn in Hell, you Dark monster!" yelled Molly._

_The others nodded in agreement. Harry cried, the feeling of betrayal overwhelming him, as the Aurors dragged him out of the room._

*Scene Change*

The Dementor leaves the area, allowing Harry to slowly recover. He has been exposed to the Dementors enough times that he no longer falls unconscious whenever they affect him. It's been one year now. If he wasn't in here, he would be in his seventh year at Hogwarts. He shakes his head at the thought of Hogwarts. That school means nothing to him now. The people there mean nothing to him now. Well, there are a few possible exceptions, as some of his friends weren't present at the trial, like Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. There is also the fact that Fred and George Weasley weren't at the trial either, while the rest of the Weasley family was. But that alone doesn't mean that they don't believe that he's guilty.

Harry manages to crawl over to the crappy mattress and blanket that is his bed. Lying on it, he gazes up at the ceiling, wondering how long he'll have to put up with this hell before he can finally die.

*Scene Change*

In #12 Grimmauld Place, the Order of the Phoenix is having another of its meetings. Albus Dumbledore, the leader of the Order, addresses the other members. "A serious situation has arisen."

"What's wrong?" asks Hermione, who was made a member of the Order during the previous summer, along with Ron. They replaced Remus and Tonks, who both quit after Harry was locked in Azkaban, as they believed he was innocent. Moody also believes Harry is innocent, but is still part of the Order, for now.

"Thanks to Intel from Professor Snape here, we know that Voldemort is planning to attack Azkaban, so he can free all of his captive Death Eaters."

"Bloody hell! That means he's going to free Potter!" says Ron.

Albus nods. "It is because that he intends to free Mr. Potter that we are going to intervene. Mr. Potter must not be allowed to rejoin his master. We are going to Azkaban, where we will assist the Aurors that will also be dispatched to stop Voldemort. As for Mr. Potter, the warden will move him to his office, where a portkey will take them to the dungeons in Hogwarts. He will be kept there until Voldemort is driven away, then he will be brought back to Azkaban."

*Scene Change*

Harry stirs as his cell door opened and the warden enters. "Get up, kid. You're being moved."

Harry barely manages to stand. "What's going on?"

"Don't question me, prisoner! Just follow my directions!"

The warden grabs Harry's arm and drags him out of the cell.

*Scene Change*

At the shoreline of the island Azkaban is situated on, multiple black mists land, revealing Voldemort and some of his Death Eaters. The Dark Lord is in a good mood today, for today is the day he will kill Harry Potter, and Harry will be begging for that death. Voldemort loves how his plan has come together. He and his Death Eaters attacked Privet Drive and framed Harry for it, resulting in Harry spending a year under the torment of the Dementors, as well as seeing Voldemort kill many people through their mind link. This kind of treatment would send the average man into insanity after the first month, but Lord Voldemort isn't that merciful with his enemies.

Voldemort looks at his Death Eaters. "You know the plan. Free the others and bring Harry Potter to me alive. If one of you gets the idea of killing him yourself to gain a reward from me, then the reward you'll get is a painful death! Now go!

The Death Eaters start walking towards the prison, when the Aurors and the Order appear in front of them, blocking their path. Dumbledore walks forward. "Lovely day, isn't it Tom?"

Voldemort snarls. "Dumbledore!" He turns to the Death Eaters. "Kill them all, but Dumbledore is mine! Then proceed with the mission!" He quickly points his wand at Dumbledore. "Avada Kedavra!"

Dumbledore dodges the spell, and the battle begins.

*Scene Change*

While all the commotion is going on, no one notices a certain owl arrive, having taken advantage of the barrier around Azkaban being down, due to Voldemort's attack. The owl swoops down and flies into the prison. While most of the Dementors in the prison take no notice of the owl, a single one does, as something about the owl calls to it, something familiar. The Dementor immediately begins to follow the owl.

*Scene Change*

Dumbledore glares at Voldemort as the two circle each other, firing spells at each other. "You won't succeed here, Tom. Your Death Eaters will remain in prison, and that includes Mr. Potter."

Voldemort laughs. "It's amazing how easy it was to convince you that Potter turned evil!"

Dumbledore is caught off-guard. "What?"

"I framed him! It was my Death Eaters and I who attacked the Muggles! It was easy to steal Potter's wand, as those idiot Muggles he lives with kept it in a cupboard with the rest of his stuff! And since it's the brother wand to mine, it was easy for me to use it!"

"But, we retrieved the wand from Harry's pocket!"

"That's because I put it there! And now after two years of being in Azkaban, Harry Potter will most likely be insane and begging for death. I plan to oblige that today! I didn't come here to free Potter! I came here to kill him! And what makes it worse is that he will die remembering how you all betrayed him and locked him away when you could have easily used methods to determine the truth. But I knew you wouldn't use them. Just the possibility that he might be following the same path as me was enough to frighten you!"

Dumbledore is horrified, now realizing just what he has done.

*Scene Change*

The warden is dragging Harry down a hallway, when he gets a face full of owl, causing him to let go of Harry. He snarls in pain as the owl scratches his face. Harry recognizes the owl immediately. "Hedwig!"

At that moment, a cold feeling passes over him. He turns to see a Dementor floating just down the hallway, but it's not making any moves to attack, nor is it trying to feed on his happiness. Hedwig stops attacking the warden and lands on Harry's shoulder. It's at this moment that the warden notices the Dementor. "What are you doing here? Return to your post!"

The Dementor doesn't obey him. Instead it reaches out a hand towards Harry, or more specifically, towards Hedwig. Hedwig stares at the Dementor for a few moments, before taking off from Harry's shoulder and flying straight at the Dementor. Harry cries out. "Hedwig, don't!"

But, it's too late. The owl collides right into the Dementor and there's a white light at the point of contact. The Dementor begins to scream. The scream sounds so inhuman that both the warden and Harry cover their ears. The scream changes, becoming that of a young woman, before the white glow fully engulfs both Hedwig and the Dementor. Everything starts shaking as magical energy is released from the two.

*Scene Change*

Outside, the two groups fighting feel the island tremble and they all turn towards the prison, where a white column of light shoots out from the prison. The light affects both Dumbledore and Voldemort, as they feel something very familiar about the magical signature they can sense.

*Scene Change*

The white light fades, revealing that both Hedwig and the Dementor are gone. In their place, is a white haired young woman, wearing gray robes. The woman takes a deep breath before opening her eyes, revealing them to be an amber color. She begins to look over herself, feeling her face with her hands and smiling. She then reaches into her robes and pulls out a white wand. She holds it gently in both hands, like she hasn't been able to hold it in a long time. She then points the wand above her head and shoots something through the ceiling.

*Scene Change*

Outside, the two groups watch as an emblem appears above Azkaban and both Dumbledore and Voldemort are frightened, as they recognize the emblem and now know just who the magical signature belongs to. Dumbledore is the one to voice it. "She's back! The Snow White Queen is back!"

*Scene Change*

The mystery woman smiles. "Good, my power hasn't weakened as much as I thought it would."

Harry steps forward, angry with the thought that something has happened to his beloved owl. "Who are you and what have you done with Hedwig?"

The woman is startled, now remembering that she's not alone in the hallway. She ignores Harry for a moment and focuses on the warden. She raises her wand and fires a stunning spell at him, knocking him unconscious. She then turns to Harry, and her eyes seem to brighten. "Harry, you're okay! I was worried that I would be too late!"

The next thing Harry knows, the woman has him wrapped up in a hug. He struggles against her. "Let go of me! What have you done with Hedwig?"

The woman gives Harry a sad look. "You don't recognize me, Harry?"

Harry really looks at her and notices her eyes. His own eyes widen. "Hedwig?"

The woman nods happily. "Well, my actual name is Gwen Edwards, but to you I'm Hedwig."

"How...?"

She puts a hand on his cheek, causing him to trail off. She smiles. "I'll explain everything, Harry. But I would prefer to do it in a better location than this place." She looks around with a look of disgust.

Harry nods in agreement. "Yeah, let's get out of here. But won't the Ministry try to hunt me down?"

Gwen giggles. "Don't worry Harry. Now that I'm restored to my true self, I can deal with the Ministry, as well as Albus. Speaking of which, he and his fellow members of the Order of the Phoenix are fighting against Tom's forces just outside the prison. Let's go say hello first, shall we?" She holds out her arm, but Harry is hesitant to take it. She gives him a reassuring smile. "Trust me, Harry. They won't be able to do anything to you."

Harry nods and grabs Gwen's arm. They both disappear from the prison.

*Scene Change*

The two groups are surprised when two people appear in front of them, with one of them being Harry Potter. Most of the Order immediately start to turn their wands towards Harry, but Dumbledore quickly stops them. He looks in shock at the woman. "It really is you. But, you haven't aged a day."

Gwen laughs. "You can thank Tom here for that. Though I must say, there are some benefits that come from still having the body of an eighteen-year-old. Sadly, I don't have the time to explain everything to you two. Harry and I have places to be."

The Death Eaters are surprised at the fear that their leader is radiating as he stares at the mystery woman. He then turns to them. "Death Eaters, retreat!"

They all quickly leave before anyone can do anything to stop them. Gwen sighs. "Still as much of a coward as ever, I see."

Dumbledore turns his attention to Harry. "Harry, get away from her! She is not to be trusted!"

Harry doesn't move a single step. Instead, he glares at the members of the Order, who are puzzled at Dumbledore's sudden desire to protect Harry. "What's going on Professor?" asks Hermione.

"Yeah, isn't Potter one of You-Know-Who's goons?" asks Ron.

Gwen laughs before Dumbledore can answer. "You were all fooled by Tom. Harry didn't harm a single person on Privet Drive. It was the work of Tom and his Death Eaters. I know because I was there that day. You can expect me to force the Wizengamot to give Harry an actual trial this time, Albus, where I will prove his innocence."

Dumbledore points his wand at Gwen. "I can't allow you to take Harry. It is for the Greater Good that he comes with us, his friends and family."

Gwen is surprised at the fact that Dumbledore actually had the balls to say that, but it's quickly eclipsed by the anger rolling off of Harry. She watches as Harry snarls at Dumbledore. "If that's the case, Dumb Old Dork, then I won't go with any of you, as none of you are my friends or family! The only one here who qualifies for either position is Gwen! She came here to save me, while you were all here only to ensure that I remained locked up! I don't care about any of you and you can all go to Hell!"

The members of the Order are shocked at Harry's response. Gwen laughs again. "Well, it's quite obvious Harry doesn't want anything to do with you and the Light, Albus. But don't worry, he wants nothing to do with Tom and the Dark either. I find it funny how both the leaders of the Light and the Dark were the ones responsible for causing Harry's life to become a personal hell, both with his childhood and being locked up in Azkaban. And you proclaim yourself to be better that Tom. What a laugh!" She looks at Harry for a moment, before looking back at Dumbledore. "Harry and I are leaving now. You'll be seeing us soon, Albus. It'll be for Harry's _**fair**_ trial. You know, the one he never got, just like Sirius Black."

Both Gwen and Harry disappear. Dumbledore turns to the members of the Order. "Let's head back to Headquarters. We have a lot to discuss."

**Vanex: _That wraps up this chapter. Just who is Gwen? How is she Hedwig? What happened with that Dementor? Why did Dumbledore, or as I call him, Dumb Old Dork, refer to her as the Snow White Queen? What will this all mean for Harry? See you all next time!_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Vanex: _Hello all! Whew, I'm glad no one noticed the major continuity flub I made in the previous chapter. Don't bother going to look for it as I have already corrected it. But, I'll be a sport and tell you what it was._**

_**When I first thought up this story, it was going to have Harry arrested between Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix. However, when I wrote it, it ended up being written with Harry being arrested after Order of the Phoenix, due to mentioning Luna, not mentioning Sirius, and having the Minister not hiding Voldemort's return. So, I had to go back and change the date of Harry's arrest from July 31, 1995 to July 31, 1996, change fifteenth birthday to sixteenth birthday, and change all mentions of two years to one year. Also, in a later chapter, I'll explain why Fudge is still the Minister of Magic.**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise or the song Snow White Queen, nor do I make any profit on this whatsoever.**

**Note: This story has nothing to do with the song Snow White Queen, nor will it feature the lyrics. I have included the song in the disclaimer, only because the idea of giving a character in this story the title of Snow White Queen came to me while I was listening to the song, and I credit my sources.**

"Normal Talking"

"_Normal Thinking/Dreams/Flashbacks"_

"**Parseltongue"**

"_**Dementor Talking"**_

*Scene Change*

**Chapter 2**

Gwen and Harry appear outside of a castle. Gwen smiles. "It's good to see this place again. Harry, welcome to the Castle of Pondera, my home. It's located on an island in the Atlantic Ocean, just outside the U.K. The island is surrounded by special wards, so no one can get in that isn't welcome, not even the Ministry."

Harry looks around in amazement. He had thought Hogwarts was beautiful when he first saw it, but this castle put it to shame. "It's wonderful."

"I've actually wanted to bring you here for years, ever since you first took me to the Dursley house. It's disgusting how Albus had you live there. You should have never had to live with them at all." Gwen shakes her head. "Well, let's go inside. You have lots of questions that need answering." Her eyes widen as Harry collapses. "Harry!" She kneels next to him and shakes him, frightened. "Wake up, Harry! Please! Harry!"

*Scene Change*

In #12 Grimmauld Place, the members of the Order are talking with each other, confused at what happened at Azkaban. But they all fall silent, when Dumbledore stands up. "Thank you. Now, I'll do my best to explain what happened. It seems we were all wrong about what happened last year. It was Voldemort who attacked Privet Drive, not Harry. The full details of what happened will apparently be brought out in the trial that Harry will get in the near future. But the point stands that Harry was innocent. Regardless, the situation is now worse than before. Harry is now in the clutches of the Snow White Queen and thinks of us as enemies."

"Who is this Snow White Queen?" asks Hermione.

"She claims to be a Neutral witch, but as far as I'm concerned, her continuous use of the Dark Arts makes her a Dark witch. She was a student at Hogwarts. She was a real prodigy and was not only a Prefect for her House, but she also was Head Girl in her year. But it was the things she did during the summer breaks and immediately after Hogwarts that put her in the spotlight. You see, she's the Head of the Edwards family."

This catches everyone's attention. "The Edwards family?" asks Arabella Figg. "Are you sure?"

Albus nods. "Yes. The same Edwards family that was around when magic society as we know it was formed. Thus, the Snow White Queen has a lot of political power. Especially considering that she became the leader of the supposed 'Neutral' faction, but like I said, their use of the Dark Arts has me doubt their claims to neutrality. Let me explain for those who are less informed. There are three factions. The Light, led by me, the Dark, led by Voldemort, and the 'Neutral', led by the Snow White Queen. She actually led the faction while in school. She was in her third year when she took charge after her mother's death.

She graduated in 1972 and disappeared the following year, which caused the 'Neutral' faction to step back. From what I knew, Voldemort had sent Dementors after her and they had supposedly performed the Kiss on her. But now it seems she's come back, and somehow hasn't aged in the years she's been gone. I don't know where she's been all this time, but what matters now is that she's returned, and that she has Harry."

"What do you think she'll do to him?" asks Hermione.

"She will most likely convert him to her cause. When we next meet Harry, he will definitely be a Dark wizard."

This causes an uproar. Albus quiets everyone down. "We still have a chance. If we can get Harry back, we can convert him back to our cause. Sending him back to Hogwarts will also help. After all, he does need to finish his magical education. Then, once he is strong enough, and loyal enough to our cause, he'll defeat both Voldemort and the Snow White Queen."

The group sighs in relief, except for Moody, who's been thinking to himself this whole time. _'I remember the Snow White Queen. She actually wanted to recruit me back then, but disappeared before I could join. I wonder if that position is still available? What matters to me right now is that the Dark Lord is stopped and I don't think this group is my best shot in accomplishing that anymore, especially with Dumbledore feeding them this bullshit about Dark Arts being nothing but evil, as they can be used for good, and Light magic can be used for evil, like the Neutral faction says. I should try to contact Lupin and Tonks as well.'_

*Scene Change*

Harry opens his eyes to find himself in the fanciest bedroom he has ever seen. He sits up only to realize that his body has been cleaned of the dirt and grime from his time in Azkaban, and that he's now wearing a set of blue pajamas instead of his prisoner rags.

"Good evening, Lord Potter."

Harry jumps at the voice and turns to see an older man in a suit standing in the doorway. "Who are you? What happened?"

"I am Howard, the butler of Castle Pondera. You collapsed outside the castle, due to fatigue from your ordeal at Azkaban. Lady Edwards alerted me and we brought you to the special guest bedroom. You have been asleep for eight hours. How are you feeling, sir?"

"I'm fine. Where's Hed-, I mean Gwen?"

"Lady Edwards is in her private study. She gave me instructions to take you to the lounge once you were awake. There is a robe on the inside of the closet door."

Harry gets out of bed, only to stumble. Howard moves to assist him. "Thank you."

"I'm here to help Lady Edwards and her guests, Lord Potter." Howard gets Harry the robe and helps him walk to the lounge. He helps Harry sit down on a very comfortable couch. "If you're comfortable, sir, I shall go inform Lady Edwards."

Harry nods and Howard leaves the room. Harry sits there for a minute or so, before Gwen enters. She immediately crosses over to the couch and sits down next to him. "Are you okay, Harry? I was worried about you."

"I'm fine."

"Good. Don't ever scare me like that again." She reaches forward and picks up something from the table next to the couch. She holds it out to Harry. "It's chocolate."

Harry takes it and eats it, feeling better than he did when he woke up. "Thank you."

Gwen smiles. "Anytime, Harry." She sighs. "Well, we have a lot to talk about. First off, you want to know the truth about me, right?"

Harry nods.

"As I told you, my name is Gwen Edwards. I was born on February 20, 1954. I was a Hogwarts student, like yourself. I graduated in 1972 and I became Hedwig in 1973. How I am Hedwig is simple. I'm an Animagus."

She transforms in front of him, becoming the snowy owl that Harry is very familiar with. A question comes to him. "Why did you wait until now to become human again?"

Gwen changes back to her human form. "Before I answer that question, there are other things I must tell you about myself. I promise you that I will answer that question."

Harry nods.

"The Edwards family, my family, have been the leaders of the Neutral faction for generations."

"The Neutral faction?"

"Yes. There are three factions. They are the Light, the Dark, and the Neutral. You're familiar with the first two. The Light, which you were part of before Azkaban, is run by Albus Dumbledore. The Dark is run by Tom Riddle aka Voldemort. The Neutral faction is run by me. I actually took command while I was at Hogwarts, due to the death of the previous leader, my mother. I quickly gained reputation for my work as the Neutral leader, enough of a reputation that I even gained a moniker. I was named the Snow White Queen, mainly because of my snowy white hair."

"What is the Neutral faction about?"

"Well, we are the ones who stand in between the Light and the Dark. We accept that the world isn't just simply black and white. There are also infinite shades of gray. For example, the Light has taught you that the Dark Arts are evil and must never be used. But, we believe that the Dark Arts aren't evil, it's the witch or wizard who uses them that's evil. To us, magic is magic. Magic that is deemed 'Light' can be used for evil purposes. Remember your first year? Ron used the Levitation Charm to take out the troll. Imagine if that club had been dropped on a human head."

Harry winces, imagining that.

"On the flip side, Dark Arts can be used for good. Would you believe me if I told you that the Killing Curse was originally used for medical reasons?"

Harry can't believe that. "How could that curse have been a medical one?"

"Simple. It was used as a way to give patients who are doomed to a long and painful death an escape from that. Turning that long and painful death, into a quick and painless one. It's all about the intent of the magic user, not the magic itself. Magic is magic, plain and simple."

Harry nods, understanding what she is telling him. "It makes sense. But, why doesn't the Light share that opinion?"

Gwen scoffs. "It's the work of Dumbledore and others like him. He believes that anyone who uses any Dark Arts is automatically a Dark witch or wizard. He views me and my entire faction as a Dark one, despite proof to the contrary. He is a dangerous person, Harry. You know his slogan, 'For the Greater Good?' It was originally used by Gellert Grindelwald."

"What?"

"It's true. I've even confirmed that Albus had a thing for Gellert when they were younger. Of course, Gellert took advantage of it to manipulate Albus. Now the puppet has become his own puppeteer, and he manipulates others, including you, Harry. Like I said, Albus Dumbledore is a dangerous person."

"What does Voldemort think of you?"

"You should call him Tom more often. Not only does it make him seem less threatening, but he hates it when he's referred to that name. I found that out during his first rise to power. I got a good laugh out of it. Anyway, you asked me what he thought of me. To him, I'm a major obstacle in his way to taking over. Even I understand how much of a threat he is. That is one thing Albus was honest to you about. Tom is a great threat to both the magical and the muggle worlds. Anyway, he knew he needed to get rid of me. This is where we start to get to the question from before. Tell me, what do you know about the Dementors?"

Harry shrugs. "Well, they are creatures who feed off the happiness of others, causing them to live their worst memories. Dementors can also suck out the soul of a person by Kissing them."

Gwen nods. "Okay, but do you know where they came from, or what they were before being Dementors?"

Harry shakes his head.

"What do you think happens to a person's body after the soul is sucked out?"

Harry's eyes widen. "That's crazy!"

"Is it? The Ministry claims that people who get their souls sucked out are left as empty shells. That is actually true, for a while. Eventually, the body undergoes a transformation, becoming a Dementor. Notice that the Ministry never kept track of the Dementors' victims after they became victims. If they had, they would know the truth of the Dementors.

They suck out the happiness of others to try to fill the void left behind, due to the loss of their souls. Even when they actually perform the Kiss, it's to try to fill that void. But, nothing can fill that void, except for one thing, the soul that was taken from them. But, that soul is in the belly of another Dementor, making it impossible to reclaim the lost soul. Thus, they are trapped as Dementors for all eternity."

Harry is shocked to hear the truth of the Dementors.

"Now, what does this have to do with me? Well, in 1973, Tom sent Dementors after me. I was Kissed, Harry. However, the Dementor that Kissed me didn't get my soul."

"How?"

"It's a very old trick that an Animagus can do. Most Animagi don't know this trick, and since neither Albus, nor Tom are Animagi, they don't know it either. If the soul is in jeopardy, an Animagus can separate it from the body, by having it take the shape of the animal form. That is what happened to me. I separated my soul from my body. My soul took on my owl form and I barely managed to escape. I was captured some time later by the owners of Eeylops Owl Emporium, and eventually sold to you. My body, in the meantime, transformed into a Dementor. This is why I waited until now to retake a human form. It was only recently I regained my human body."

Harry immediately understands."That Dementor from before! It was you!"

"Exactly. The Dementor was drawn to me because it recognized its missing soul. The process you saw was my soul re-merging with my body. As a result, my body retook its original human appearance. I only look eighteen because I was eighteen when my body became a Dementor. In reality, I'm actually forty-three. Also, you noticed how Tom was scared of me at Azkaban, right? Well, how often do you see someone being restored after being Kissed? As far as he is concerned, I have just done the impossible, and he is now frightened by how powerful I might be."

Harry is amazed at everything he's learned. Then, a thought comes over him and he frowns. Gwen sees the frown. "What's wrong, Harry?"

"What's going to happen after all this? After my name gets cleared."

"That's up to you. You can go back to Albus and your former friends. You could go join Tom, though he would kill you and we both know you'd never actually join Tom. You could go to the muggle world and live a non-magical life. But to be honest, I hope that you will want to stay here with me."

Harry wasn't expecting that response. "You want me to stay?"

"Of course! What? Did you think..." She trails off, now realizing what Harry was frowning about. "Did you really think that I wouldn't want you to stay with me? That I would just kick you out once your name had been cleared?"

"Well, you are an important person. Why would you want me around?"

"Harry, why did I never leave you when I was Hedwig? I had many opportunities to do so."

Harry is silent.

"It's because I care about you, Harry. I enjoyed being Hedwig, your pet owl. I still am your Hedwig, Harry. I'm still the same Hedwig that was with you during those summers at the Dursley house. The same Hedwig that you confided in. The same Hedwig that you have a close bond with." She leans over and kisses him on the cheek, surprising him. "Can't that bond still be there?"

Harry doesn't respond for a few moments, before smiling. "Yes, yes it can."

**Vanex: _There we go. Now you know about Gwen Edwards, the Snow White Queen. What will happen at Harry's trial? Will Harry go back to Hogwarts? Will Dumb Old Dork get Harry back under his thumb? Or could Gwen have more tricks up her sleeve? See you all next time!_**


End file.
